Jan. 25, 2012 (China Knowledge) - The building material industry in China realized RMB 279.6 billion in profit in the first 11 months of last year, reflecting a sharp increase of 50.2%year on year, according to the latest statistics released by the National Development and Reform Commission.

The profit of the cement sector soared 92.6% year on year to RMB 93.3 billion in the first 11 months, and growth rate was 58 percentage points higher than that in the same period of 2010. The profit of flat glass makers plunged 80.3% year on year to RMB 1.47 billion during the period, compared with a 130% increase in 2010.

China's cement output grew 16.1% year on year to 2.06 billion metric tons last year, and its flat glass output rose 15.8% year on year to 737.89 million weight boxes.

The price of cement rose 5.4% month on month or 11.3% year on year in December, reaching an average of RMB 407.5 per metric ton among major cement enterprises. The price of flat glass climbed 0.5% month on month but fell 27% year on year to RMB 61.3 per weight box in December.